Brant Tomlinson, a Republican running for the Kershaw County Council in South Carolina has come under scrutiny for a photo of him in blackface from 2008. (Facebook)

An aspiring South Carolina politician tip-toed around an apology after a photo of him sporting blackface during a college party started circulating on social media this week.

The image in question sees Brant Tomlinson, a Republican running for the Kershaw County Council District 5 seat, wearing the offending makeup and a black Under Armor shirt decorated with the colors of the Jamaican flag.

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It was snapped 10 years ago during a Halloween party at the University of of South Carolina, WACH reported. He and his friends dressed up as members of the Jamaican bobsled team portrayed in the cult classic, "Cool Runnings" for a costume contest.

In the end, he and his pals finished in second to another group dressed as the "Mighty Ducks."

Tomlinson, who did not immediately return a request for comment, told the The State he originally decided against removing the image from his page ahead of his bid for office.

"I think that's one thing wrong with politicians: They try to hide everything they do," he said. "I never in a million years really thought that would get a negative connotation on it."

Brant Tomlinson is a Republican running for the Kershaw County Council in South Carolina. (Facebook)

The Camden native added that he didn't choose the look to be funny — he and his friends "did it strictly for this Halloween party."

He believes the decade-old photo has resurfaced and is being "spread by an antagonist" who is being paid off by his rival in an effort to "misrepresent" his character.

"It is unfortunate that local candidates have now resorted to the same type of toxic smear campaigns that have infected the political discourse at a state and national level," he said. "We will continue to focus on the issues that address how we can provide a brighter future for families across Kershaw County."

In a statement addressing the image, Tomlinson did not apologize for the racist costume, but he did dub the 1993 bobsled flick as "one of his all-time favorite movies."